This invention relates to crate constructions for bottles and more specifically, to a low depth crate for standard petaloid two-liter bottles.
Low depth bottle crates are well known in the art as exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,700,836; 4,928,841; 5,060,819; and 5,855,277. These crates typically have side and end walls that extend only about one-third the height of standard two-liter bottles. This means that, when loaded and stacked, crates rest directly on the bottles in an underlying crate. The low depth of the crate is attractive, however, since it reduces material costs, enhances visibility of the bottles, and reduces shipping space when stacked empty. Some prior crates employ crate height increasing features to provide greater support for bottles received therein, while still permitting the bottle labels to be seen. Such features may include columns that extend above the side and end walls of the crate as exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,899,874; 4,978,002; and 5,501,352.
Low depth crates also typically have concave bottle supporting surfaces that generally conform to the shape of the bottle. The concave surfaces provide good bottle support but may result in undesirable scuffing of the bottle surface, however, particularly if dirt, sand or other debris becomes trapped between the bottle surface and the concave crate surfaces.
The crate of this invention includes a peripheral wall of uniform height with radiused cut-outs spaced along the side walls and end walls of the crate. In the areas between the cut-outs and in the corners, thickened pads are formed on the exterior of the peripheral wall to provide additional surface area for palletizing equipment and the like, and to provide better side-to-side support when similar crates are stacked in adjacent columns.
The interior of the crate is divided by a longitudinal center partition and three transverse partitions that together define a plurality of bottle receiving pockets, arranged in two longitudinal rows, each with four pockets. Interior bottle support columns are located along the longitudinal partition where it intersects with the transverse partitions, and thus, in the exemplary embodiment, there are three such interior columns, one of which is located at the longitudinal and transverse center of the crate. Similar partial, or xe2x80x9chalf columnsxe2x80x9d are located along the side walls where the transverse partitions intersect the side walls, and centrally of the end walls, while xe2x80x9cquarter columnsxe2x80x9d are provided in the corners of the crate. Each of the various column structures is formed to include a pair of vertically oriented convex ribs facing radially into each adjacent pocket. Thus, the interior columns are provided with a pair of such ribs for each of four surrounding pockets; the side and end wall half columns are provided with a pair of such ribs for each of two adjacent pockets; and the corner quarter columns are provided with a pair of such ribs for each respective corner pocket.
The various columns are substantially hollow and are formed with relatively large cut-out portions in the lower halves thereof to reduce weight and to facilitate nesting of similar empty crates.
The end walls of the crate are also formed with cut-outs in the lower portions thereof to create handle openings at opposite ends of the crate.
The crate bottom is formed with bottle support platforms for respective bottle receiving pockets, each support platform having a raised center area adapted to project upwardly into a recess formed in the bottom of a conventional petaloid type 2-liter bottle. The underside of the crate bottom is formed with elongated recesses located centrally of the bottle support platforms, with the recesses under the four center pockets (those pockets surrounding the interior column at the center of the crate) arranged in one direction and the recesses in the transverse pair of pockets at each end of the crate arranged in a mutually perpendicular direction. When similar loaded crates are stacked, bottle closures or caps of bottles in the underlying crate will be received in the elongated recesses, and the cooperation between the mutually perpendicular recesses tends to substantially center the closures within the recesses.
Within certain of the partial columns along the side walls of the crate, nesting ribs are provided that are engaged by the top surfaces of an underlying crate when similar empty crates are stacked.
Another feature of the invention relates to an instability projection, optionally added to the top of an interior column to discourage users from inverting the crate and using it as a step stool.
Accordingly, in one aspect, the present invention relates to a low depth bottle crate having a peripheral wall of uniform height, the peripheral wall including a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls; a longitudinal interior partition extending between the end walls and a plurality of transverse interior partitions extending between the side walls to thereby create a plurality of bottle receiving pockets within the peripheral wall; a crate bottom connected to the peripheral wall, an upper surface of the crate bottom formed to include a bottle supporting platform for the bottle receiving pocket; a plurality of interior columns located at intersections of the transverse partitions and the longitudinal partition, each interior column having an interior surface facing radially into each of four of the bottle receiving pockets that surround each of the interior columns, the surface having a pair of vertically extending interior convex ribs adapted to provide support for a bottle loaded into the respective pocket.
In another aspect, the invention relates to a bottle crate having a peripheral wall including a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls; a crate bottom integrally connected to the peripheral wall, an upper surface of the crate bottom formed to include a plurality of bottle supporting platforms, each platform having an aperture centered on a vertical center axis of the platform; each platform having a lower surface formed with an elongated recess extending across the vertical axis, the elongated recess having a flat base surrounded by a tapered surface, the flat base defined by a pair of straight parallel sides with radiused curves at opposite ends thereof.
In another aspect, the invention relates to a bottle crate having a peripheral wall including a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls; a crate bottom integrally connected to the peripheral wall, an upper surface of the crate bottom formed to include a plurality of bottle supporting platforms, each platform having a vertical center axis; each platform having a lower surface formed with an elongated recess extending across the vertical axis; wherein some of the recesses extend parallel to the side walls and some of the recesses extend parallel to the end walls.
In another aspect, the invention relates to a low depth crate for two-liter bottles comprising a peripheral wall including a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls; a crate bottom integrally connected to the peripheral wall; said peripheral wall having a height equal to about ⅓ the height of a two-liter bottle; an interior longitudinal partition and a plurality of transverse partitions defining eight bottle receiving pockets in two rows of four; three interior columns along the longitudinal partition, each interior column having interior surfaces facing into four surrounding bottle receiving pockets; the interior surfaces for each of the four surrounding bottle receiving pockets formed with respective first pairs of vertically oriented convex ribs.